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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kid — child
  6. club — for dancing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rock — a stone
  13. club — a group
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. club — for golf
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mug — a face
  24. wind — moving air

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