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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wind — moving air
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. roll — a list
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bass — low music
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cold — an illness
  13. degree — an amount
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. foot — the bottom

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