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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. net — after costs
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — for catching
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — in sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. dip — to sink

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