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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stand — to bear
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. squash — to crush
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pass — a permit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cold — not warm
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cold — an illness

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