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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cold — not warm
  3. race — a contest
  4. chip — for betting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — to eat
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lean — thin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — humankind
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cold — an illness
  21. race — the arms race
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. lean — to rest against

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