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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 124 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mate — a partner
  4. season — in sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rest — a break
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — to be able to
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mate — to breed
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — of the year
  24. ruler — for measuring

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