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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. court — for sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stock — goods
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — to breed
  21. court — of a king
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. roll — a list
  24. stock — shares

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