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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cold — an illness
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. foot — a measure
  7. court — for sport
  8. last — finally
  9. rash — hasty
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. court — of a king
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. dip — to sink
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. roll — a cake
  19. last — final
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. roll — a list
  23. last — to go on
  24. arm — a part of something

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