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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. firm — steady
  13. cold — an illness
  14. firm — decided
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. row — a line
  20. spell — letters
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cap — a hat
  24. key — in music

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