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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. file — a tool
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cold — not warm
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a line of people
  9. scale — in music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cold — an illness
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. file — a document
  16. fine — high quality
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bank — for money
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. scale — size or range
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. scale — for weighing

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