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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. object — an aim
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. object — a thing
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wind — moving air
  15. present — a gift
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. present — there
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. object — to protest
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. present — the time now
  24. saw — the tool

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