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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. tube — a container
  3. last — final
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bound — certain
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. tube — the underground
  15. board — to get on
  16. last — finally
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. last — to go on
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. board — a committee

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