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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ground — the earth
  6. file — a tool
  7. ground — a position
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pop — music
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pop — soda
  21. file — a document
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cap — a hat
  24. hand — part of the body

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