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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cap — a hat
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kick — in football
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. ball — a dance
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. content — happy
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wave — of the sea

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