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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. cold — not warm
  6. track — to keep track
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pit — a hole
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cold — an illness
  24. deal — to handle

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