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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. club — for dancing
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cell — a phone
  13. club — for golf
  14. cold — not warm
  15. firm — decided
  16. dip — to sink
  17. club — a group
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. firm — steady
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. firm — a company

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