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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. can — a tin
  7. current — electric
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — not warm
  11. current — of water
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — a stick
  15. current — happening now
  16. spring — the season
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — of water
  24. cold — an illness

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