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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: file · pound · pass · bay · dip · pop · cold · coach

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cold — not warm
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pass — a permit
  9. file — a document
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pop — music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. file — a tool
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. dip — to sink
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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