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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cold — an illness
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. squash — to crush
  7. key — in music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — for sport
  12. bank — of a river
  13. field — a subject
  14. cold — not warm
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. key — for a lock
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rock — music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. field — farmland
  24. squash — the vegetable

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