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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bound — obliged
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. key — in music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cap — a hat
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bound — certain
  15. file — a document
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cap — of ice
  20. file — a line of people
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stem — to come from
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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