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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rash — a series
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cold — not warm
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. toast — bread
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rash — hasty
  20. tear — to rip
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. coach — a trainer

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