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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fall — the season
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. land — a country
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — to come down
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — completely
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. land — ground
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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