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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: pop · rest · mug · cold · dip · leaves · arm · mate

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mate — a friend
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pop — soda
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — a face
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pop — music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — an illness

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