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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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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: dip · cold · pitch · mate · tear · cue · kick · fork

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mate — to breed
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cue — for pool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cue — a hint
  24. kick — in football

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