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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. face — to point toward
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cold — not warm
  8. face — to confront
  9. march — the month
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bound — certain
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. face — part of the head
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bound — obliged
  22. march — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bound — tied together

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