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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rock — a stone
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. cold — not warm
  14. net — in sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. net — for catching
  18. wound — an injury
  19. current — electric
  20. rock — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. net — after costs
  24. rush — a thrill

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