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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rock — music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cold — not warm
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — happy
  13. band — a ring
  14. field — farmland
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — for sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. field — a subject
  21. content — the amount
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. band — a music group

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