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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kick — in football
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. current — electric
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. current — of water
  13. pass — a permit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. current — happening now
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mark — a grade
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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