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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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Word bank
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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: snap · last · net · mug · dip · wind · roll · cold

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. last — final
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. dip — to sink
  5. roll — a list
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — finally
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — a face
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. snap — to click
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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