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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. current — happening now
  4. shower — rain
  5. mug — to rob
  6. squash — to crush
  7. field — a subject
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mug — a face
  13. track — a song
  14. current — electric
  15. track — a path
  16. shower — to wash
  17. current — of water
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cold — an illness
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cue — a signal

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