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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. row — to paddle
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — to point toward
  5. net — in sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lean — thin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lean — to bend
  11. snap — to click
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cold — an illness
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. face — to confront
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — a line
  22. ground — crushed
  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