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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fall — the season
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. scale — in music
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cold — not warm
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cold — the Cold War

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