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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: kid · cold · date · squash · present · dip · ruler · bass

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — low music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. present — there
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. present — a gift
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. date — the fruit
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. present — the time now
  24. date — on the calendar

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