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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. charge — in control
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. charge — a price
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fine — all right
  10. current — of water
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. current — happening now
  18. cold — not warm
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. current — electric
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. leaves — of a tree

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