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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 124 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cold — not warm
  4. hand — in cards
  5. firm — steady
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. firm — a company
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — a song
  14. firm — decided
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. hand — help
  18. spell — magic
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spell — letters
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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