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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rest — a break
  6. track — a song
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rest — what's left
  10. march — the month
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fine — all right
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. track — a path
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. march — the month
  21. lean — thin
  22. march — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — to keep track

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