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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — a tin
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. face — to confront
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — not warm
  8. squash — to crush
  9. face — to point toward
  10. squash — the sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. can — to be able to
  16. snap — to click
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ruler — a monarch

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