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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cold — an illness
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. present — a gift
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mark — a grade
  13. row — a line
  14. cold — not warm
  15. present — the time now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. date — the fruit
  20. present — there
  21. rash — a series
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cabinet — ministers

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