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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cold — not warm
  4. object — a thing
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — a trail
  7. object — to protest
  8. pass — a permit
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. object — an aim
  23. cold — an illness
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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