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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. row — to paddle
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cold — an illness
  5. spell — letters
  6. stock — goods
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. spell — magic
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stock — shares
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. row — a line
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lash — to lash out

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