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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 120 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hand — in cards
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. file — a tool
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. cold — an illness
  17. object — to protest
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cold — not warm
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. file — a document
  22. hand — help
  23. cap — of ice
  24. arm — part of the body

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