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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — of the year
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cue — a hint
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fall — the season
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — in sport
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cold — not warm
  24. jam — in traffic

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