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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stand — to bear
  6. current — electric
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cold — an illness
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rest — what's left
  13. current — happening now
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. clip — a video
  16. mate — a friend
  17. current — of water
  18. chip — for betting
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rest — a break
  22. cold — not warm
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stand — for spectators

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