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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · pit · dip · craft · game · bay · mouse · cold

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. pit — in a race
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cold — not warm
  5. craft — boats
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — happy
  17. pit — a hole
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cold — an illness
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. content — the amount
  24. craft — a skill

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