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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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. pound — a weight
  4. key — the most important part
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. season — in sport
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. foot — a measure
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. key — in music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — of the year
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. key — for a lock
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. cold — not warm

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