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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cue — for pool
  6. drill — army training
  7. cold — an illness
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cue — a signal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. drill — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cue — a hint
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mate — a partner

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