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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. land — ground
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. spell — a short time
  8. suit — to fit
  9. land — a country
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. land — to come down
  12. spell — magic
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. suit — clothes
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. spell — letters
  24. suit — in cards

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