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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 116 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: bowl · sharp · cold · cell · wave · dip · pitch · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pop — music
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — soda
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cell — a phone
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bowl — a dish

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