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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. lie — an untruth
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lie — to recline
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — low music
  8. cold — not warm
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bass — the fish
  18. drill — army training
  19. shower — rain
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bank — for money
  22. pit — a hole
  23. shower — to wash
  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