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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. content — the amount
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rest — a break
  5. cold — not warm
  6. content — happy
  7. rest — what's left
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. shower — to wash
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rush — hurry
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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