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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. lie — to recline
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. deal — an agreement

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