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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cue — a hint
  4. key — in music
  5. cue — a signal
  6. charge — electricity
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cold — an illness
  13. charge — in control
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bound — certain
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. charge — a price
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lean — thin
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stock — shares

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