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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. can — a tin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. scale — in music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. current — electric
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bear — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. current — of water
  20. can — a tin
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cold — not warm
  23. scale — size or range
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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