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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: racket · cell · cold · bay · swing · sharp · toast · pit

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. swing — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — a phone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cell — in biology
  10. swing — in golf
  11. toast — bread
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pit — in a race
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pit — a hole

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