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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cold — an illness
  5. drill — army training
  6. spell — letters
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. charge — electricity
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. spell — magic
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spell — a short time
  17. charge — in control
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stand — to bear
  21. drill — the tool
  22. charge — a price
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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