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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. season — of the year
  4. fine — all right
  5. kick — in football
  6. firm — decided
  7. fine — high quality
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hand — help
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — in sport
  14. firm — steady
  15. wind — moving air
  16. march — music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cold — an illness
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cold — not warm
  21. firm — a company
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. march — the month

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