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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. board — a committee
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bat — the animal
  10. charge — a price
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. drill — army training
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. game — a match
  16. board — to get on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. drill — a practice
  19. charge — in control
  20. drill — the tool
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cold — not warm
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. game — wild animals

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