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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mate — a friend
  6. branch — a division
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cold — not warm
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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