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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 water is too ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. track — a path
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bound — obliged
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pit — a hole
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. track — to keep track
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bound — certain
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. track — a song
  24. dip — a sauce

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