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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mark — a grade
  3. march — the month
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — a trace
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cold — not warm
  14. kick — in football
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. trunk — of a car

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