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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. content — the amount
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cold — not warm
  5. content — happy
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. staff — a stick
  11. land — ground
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — an illness
  15. land — to come down
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. land — a country
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chair — a leader
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chair — to sit on

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