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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. roll — a list
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. current — happening now
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fall — the season
  11. ball — a great time
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. prune — to trim
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fall — to drop
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. roll — on a roll

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