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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fine — all right
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitch — completely
  16. key — for a lock
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. key — in music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cold — not warm
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rush — hurry
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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