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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. can — to be able to
  3. race — humankind
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cue — a hint
  6. object — to protest
  7. face — to confront
  8. cue — for pool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. race — a contest
  11. cold — not warm
  12. can — a tin
  13. race — the arms race
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a tool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fine — high quality
  18. face — part of the head
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fine — all right
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. file — a document

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