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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pit — in a race
  3. snap — to click
  4. cold — an illness
  5. race — the arms race
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. track — a song
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pit — a hole
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. race — a contest
  15. last — final
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. track — a path
  22. race — humankind
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — to keep track

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