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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cold — an illness
  5. craft — boats
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rock — a stone
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bark — to shout
  12. craft — a skill
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. row — a line
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rock — music
  24. fan — to cool the 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