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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cold — an illness
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rash — a series
  9. file — a document
  10. bear — the animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. track — a song
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rash — hasty
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. track — a path
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — low 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