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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mine — for digging
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rash — a series
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rash — hasty
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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