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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: rush · race · cabinet · dip · straw · leaves · cold · fan

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rush — hurry
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. race — a contest
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. straw — a straw man

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