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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. row — to paddle
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. row — a line
  13. snap — to click
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stem — to come from
  16. suit — clothes
  17. craft — boats
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — to crush
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cold — not warm
  24. suit — to fit

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