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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. game — wild animals
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. roll — a list
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. roll — a cake
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. deal — to handle
  21. drill — army training
  22. stand — to bear
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bay — a horse colour

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