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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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. bank — of a river
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bank — for money
  14. bass — low music
  15. bound — certain
  16. mug — a face
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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