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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. capital — money
  7. mark — a grade
  8. lean — thin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — a city
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mark — a trace
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mark — to pay attention

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