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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: pit · racket · snap · dip · ball · cabinet · cold · present

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. snap — to click
  3. present — there
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pit — in a race
  8. present — a gift
  9. pit — a hole
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ball — a dance
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. present — the time now
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cold — not warm

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