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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. drill — army training
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. suit — in cards
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. suit — to fit
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cold — an illness
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tear — to rip
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — a trail

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