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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mug — a face
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. scale — in music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bound — obliged
  9. march — the month
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pop — music
  12. mug — a cup
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. rule — government
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — a law
  19. pop — soda
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cold — an illness
  24. march — music

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