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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. roll — a list
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. march — music
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mate — a friend
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. clip — a video
  14. march — the month
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — an illness
  22. march — the month
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cold — not warm

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