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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. key — in music
  4. spell — a short time
  5. foot — a measure
  6. key — for a lock
  7. drill — the tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stock — shares
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. drill — army training
  12. spell — letters
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stock — goods
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. spell — magic

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