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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 124 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pound — a weight
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ground — crushed
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ground — a position
  17. key — the most important part
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ground — the earth

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