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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — a country
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cold — not warm
  8. face — to confront
  9. row — to paddle
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. land — to come down
  14. suit — clothes
  15. row — a line
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bound — obliged
  20. land — ground
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — in cards

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