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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — moving air
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ground — crushed
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. race — humankind
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rest — a break

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