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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. file — a line of people
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. file — a tool
  11. pop — music
  12. press — newspapers
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — not warm
  17. ball — a great time
  18. press — to push
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. craft — boats
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wound — an injury
  23. file — a document
  24. cold — an illness

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