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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. track — a song
  9. rule — government
  10. track — a path
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — a law
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. track — to keep track
  18. spring — of water
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cold — an illness
  24. spring — the season

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