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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: cold · lie · dip · swing · hand · rash · track · bulb

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. track — a song
  7. rash — a series
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. hand — help
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bulb — for light
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rash — hasty
  24. swing — in golf

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