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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. net — after costs
  3. pass — a permit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. track — a path
  7. shower — rain
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — to keep track
  10. net — in sport
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cold — an illness
  14. net — for catching
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cold — not warm
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. track — a song
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. toast — bread

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