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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fall — the season
  4. cap — a hat
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stand — to bear
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cold — an illness
  24. trunk — of a car

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