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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · stand · dip · cold · hide · bore · wake · jam

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bore — to tire
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bore — to drill
  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