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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. saw — the tool

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