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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mate — a friend
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. present — there
  9. mate — a partner
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. present — a gift
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. present — the time now
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fall — the season

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