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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 120 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: arm · wound · bowl · pit · cap · dip · cold · rock

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rock — music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wound — an injury
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — a lid
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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