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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tube — a container
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a match
  17. face — to confront
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rock — music
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cold — an illness
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rock — a stone

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