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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. last — final
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. land — ground
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. chip — to eat
  8. last — to go on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. last — finally
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cold — not warm
  17. land — to come down
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chip — for betting
  20. land — a country
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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