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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cell — in biology
  4. row — a line
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. current — of water
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. current — electric
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lie — to recline
  19. season — in sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. current — happening now
  24. wind — moving air

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