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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chair — a leader
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. swing — in golf
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cold — an illness
  18. toast — bread
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rest — a break
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. swing — 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