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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stock — goods
  5. race — humankind
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stock — shares
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. race — the arms race
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. race — a contest
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spell — magic
  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