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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. can — a tin
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. drill — a practice
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. vault — a safe
  12. can — to be able to
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cold — an illness
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. can — a tin
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. root — the cause
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pitch — completely
  24. jam — in traffic

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