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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lean — thin
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cold — not warm
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lean — to bend
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cold — an illness

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