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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. foot — a measure
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. firm — a company
  5. cold — not warm
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cold — an illness
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. can — a tin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. firm — steady
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wax — to grow
  21. file — a line of people
  22. firm — decided
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. can — a tin

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