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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rock — music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lean — thin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cold — not warm
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rest — a break

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