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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cold — an illness
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. court — of law
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cold — not warm
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. dip — to sink

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