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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. chair — a leader
  4. suit — in cards
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. suit — to fit
  9. toast — bread
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — clever
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. suit — clothes
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rash — hasty
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rash — a series

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