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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. land — to come down
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bark — to shout
  5. charge — a price
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — ground
  8. can — to be able to
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cold — not warm
  14. can — a tin
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. last — finally
  17. charge — in control
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — a country
  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