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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. squash — to crush
  3. firm — steady
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pit — a hole
  6. squash — the sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cell — in biology
  10. firm — a company
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pit — in a race
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. firm — decided
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cell — a phone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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