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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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Word bank
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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: mark · cold · fine · chest · date · bore · dip · pitch

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bore — to drill
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cold — an illness
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. chest — a box
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chest — of your body
  24. dip — a sauce

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