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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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468
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cold — an illness
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cell — in biology
  9. kick — in football
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fine — all right
  24. foot — the bottom

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