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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. land — ground
  17. squash — to crush
  18. season — of the year
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. cold — an illness
  24. season — in sport

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