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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chair — a leader
  7. court — of a king
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. court — for sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pit — a hole
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. root — the cause
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. court — of law
  20. pit — in a race
  21. root — of a word
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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