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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mark — a trace
  4. vault — a safe
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cabinet — ministers

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