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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — a series
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fall — the season
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. current — electric
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. current — happening now
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. rash — on the skin

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