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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. march — music
  3. shower — rain
  4. march — the month
  5. object — to protest
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. object — an aim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. march — the month
  21. cold — an illness
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. object — a thing
  24. bowl — a dish

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