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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: sharp · suit · firm · cold · racket · pound · bat · dip

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — to sink
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. suit — clothes
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. firm — a company
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cold — not warm
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bat — the animal

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