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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 120 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: cold · dip · bat · net · calf · bass · ruler · pit

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cold — not warm
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. net — after costs
  5. bass — the fish
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. net — in sport
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bass — low music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. net — for catching

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