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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cold — an illness
  4. tear — to rip
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — from crying
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. foot — the bottom

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