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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rule — a law
  4. wake — a trail
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — in sport
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. snap — to click
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rule — government
  22. bank — for money
  23. race — a contest
  24. wake — before a funeral

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