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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cold — not warm
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pitch — completely
  10. firm — decided
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. current — of water
  15. mark — a grade
  16. firm — a company
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mine — for digging
  21. current — happening now
  22. firm — steady
  23. current — electric
  24. mine — an explosive

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