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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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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mug — a face
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cold — not warm
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitch — a sports field

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