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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kick — in football
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. firm — decided
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cold — an illness
  14. land — to come down
  15. firm — a company
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. firm — steady
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cold — not warm

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