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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. march — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. swing — music
  7. mug — a face
  8. scale — size or range
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. march — the month
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pit — in a race
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. scale — in music
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pit — a hole
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. march — the month
  24. swing — to play on

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