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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rush — hurry
  3. land — to come down
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. craft — a skill
  10. land — a country
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. snap — to click
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. shower — rain
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. craft — boats
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. land — ground
  24. bowl — a dish

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