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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. game — wild animals
  3. object — an aim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. game — a match
  7. object — a thing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. prune — to trim
  11. row — a line
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cold — an illness
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cold — not warm
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rush — hurry
  22. object — to protest
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. racket — for tennis

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