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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rock — music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rest — what's left
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rest — a break
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rush — hurry
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. suit — to fit
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rock — to move gently

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