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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. tear — to rip
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. march — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spell — magic
  11. cold — an illness
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. swing — music
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — letters
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. present — the time now
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. swing — to play on

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