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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mate — a partner
  3. shower — rain
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. craft — boats
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cold — an illness
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bark — to shout
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pit — in a race
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mate — to breed
  21. suit — in cards
  22. roll — a list
  23. pit — a hole
  24. craft — a handicraft

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