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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. suit — to fit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. march — music
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — the earth
  11. march — the month
  12. suit — clothes
  13. object — a thing
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ground — a position
  18. cold — not warm
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chair — a leader
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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