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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. kick — in football
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cold — not warm
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mug — to rob
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mug — a face

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