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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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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 · mark · club · cap · lie · press · cold · wave

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cap — a hat
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. press — to push
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — a trace
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cold — not warm
  20. club — for golf
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. club — a group
  24. press — a publisher

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