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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. net — in sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. charge — a price
  5. bank — for money
  6. fall — to drop
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bank — for money
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cold — an illness
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. charge — in control
  14. fall — the season
  15. pit — a hole
  16. net — for catching
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. net — after costs
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rock — music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rock — to move gently

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