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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pass — a permit
  12. last — final
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rest — a break
  15. shower — rain
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. last — finally
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. last — to go on
  24. ground — the earth

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