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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. race — a contest
  18. rest — a break
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rest — what's left
  23. race — humankind
  24. ruler — for measuring

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