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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cold — an illness
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cue — a hint
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. track — a song
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. track — a path
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. land — to come down
  17. cue — a signal
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cold — not warm

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