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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. track — a path
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pass — a permit
  8. track — a song
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. clip — a video
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cold — not warm

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