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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. snap — to click
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — a trail
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tube — a container
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. current — happening now
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. cold — an illness

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