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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 116 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chip — to eat
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cold — an illness
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kick — in football
  8. rest — a break
  9. cold — not warm
  10. net — for catching
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rest — what's left
  13. race — a contest
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. net — after costs
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. tube — a container
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chip — for betting
  22. net — in sport
  23. race — humankind
  24. kick — with a leg

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