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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cold — not warm
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lean — thin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stock — goods
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lean — to bend
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stock — shares
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. row — a line

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