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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — a face
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mug — to rob
  7. march — the month
  8. charge — a price
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mug — a cup
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tube — a container
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. charge — in control
  17. tube — the underground
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — in cards
  22. charge — electricity
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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