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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · ruler · cold · field · sharp · wind · wave · cabinet

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — clever
  10. race — a contest
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — humankind
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cold — not warm
  21. field — farmland
  22. race — the arms race
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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