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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — in cards
  3. content — the amount
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — help
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — happy
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — to get on
  22. stem — to come from
  23. board — a committee
  24. leaves — lets stay

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