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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · bound · bark · dip · cold · pop · lash · fine

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pop — music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fine — all right
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bound — certain
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pit — a hole
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pop — soda
  24. pit — in a race

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