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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bear — the animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — help
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bear — to put up with

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