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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: cold · suit · band · fork · swing · pit · dip · deal

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pit — in a race
  6. band — a music group
  7. swing — to play on
  8. dip — to sink
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fork — in a road
  11. swing — music
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. band — a ring
  14. suit — in cards
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. suit — to fit
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. deal — to handle

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