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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hand — help
  5. season — of the year
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kid — child
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. swing — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. swing — in golf
  17. kid — to tease
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. swing — to play on
  20. season — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. racket — a loud noise

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