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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rash — a series
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. can — a tin
  11. craft — boats
  12. shower — rain
  13. clip — a video
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. clip — to cut
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rash — hasty
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. dip — to sink
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. craft — a skill

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