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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. swing — music
  6. key — in music
  7. cold — an illness
  8. clip — to cut
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. clip — for paper
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fine — high quality
  14. key — the most important part
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — all right
  17. mate — to breed
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cold — not warm
  20. key — for a lock
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. clip — a video
  23. mate — a partner
  24. swing — to play on

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