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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. net — in sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mate — a friend
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mark — a grade
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mate — a partner
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. net — after costs
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — for catching
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. lash — to lash out

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