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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. season — in sport
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. game — wild animals
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — a path
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cold — not warm
  14. board — to get on
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. board — a committee
  19. cold — an illness
  20. track — a song
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — to keep track
  23. season — of the year
  24. scale — in music

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