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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bound — tied together
  7. land — to come down
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. land — ground
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. land — a country
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. craft — a skill
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. craft — boats
  23. bound — certain
  24. fan — a supporter

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