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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — to go on
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — what's left
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cue — for pool
  13. last — finally
  14. cold — not warm
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rest — a break
  20. cold — an illness
  21. last — final
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. prune — the fruit

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