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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cold — not warm

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