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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — help
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — steady
  9. cold — not warm
  10. current — happening now
  11. game — a match
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. current — of water
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. current — electric
  18. firm — a company
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. firm — decided
  21. snap — to click
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cabinet — ministers

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