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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: pitcher · cold · bat · firm · lie · dip · row · track

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — to sink
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. firm — steady
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — to paddle
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cold — not warm
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. row — a line
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — for baseball

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