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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: mug · dip · toast · cue · roll · pop · cold · kid

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mug — a face
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mug — to rob
  8. roll — a list
  9. kid — child
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. toast — bread
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mug — a cup
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pop — music
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pop — soda
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. cue — a signal
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. dip — a sauce

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