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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cold — not warm
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rest — a break
  8. club — for golf
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — an illness
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. club — a group
  19. charge — in control
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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