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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mug — a face
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mug — a cup
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. swing — music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — a trace
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cold — not warm
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mug — to rob
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com