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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cold — not warm
  6. face — to point toward
  7. swing — music
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bank — of a river
  11. file — a document
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. bank — for money
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. swing — to play on
  19. file — a tool
  20. cold — an illness
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. face — to confront

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