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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rule — a law
  4. fall — to drop
  5. club — a group
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rule — government
  8. squash — the sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bass — low music
  19. club — for golf
  20. root — of a word
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. root — the cause
  23. fall — the season
  24. squash — the vegetable

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