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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bank — for money
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cold — not warm
  11. row — a line
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bank — of a river
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stand — to bear
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cap — a hat
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — a match
  24. mark — a trace

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