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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. race — humankind
  3. vault — a safe
  4. race — a contest
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cold — not warm
  14. race — the arms race
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stock — goods
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cold — an illness
  20. chip — for betting
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — help
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cue — a signal

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