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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. present — the time now
  3. march — music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mug — a face
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mug — to rob
  13. present — a gift
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cold — not warm
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cold — an illness
  21. row — a line
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. present — there

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