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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. toast — bread
  8. wind — moving air
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. race — a contest
  12. pound — a weight
  13. face — to confront
  14. cold — not warm
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cold — an illness
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. race — humankind
  24. stem — of a plant

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