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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cap — of ice
  7. current — happening now
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. current — of water
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. root — the cause
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wake — a trail
  17. root — of a word
  18. present — there
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. present — the time now
  22. root — of a plant
  23. current — electric
  24. present — a gift

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