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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · dip · cold · wave · rule · mate · mine · roll

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mate — to breed
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rule — government
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rule — a law
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. season — in sport
  24. roll — a list

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