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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. sharp — exactly
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. shower — to wash
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kick — in football
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. shower — rain
  17. row — a line
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cold — not warm
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  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