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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. swing — music
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cold — an illness
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. swing — in golf
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — for digging

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