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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 120 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. last — final
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. current — electric
  9. present — the time now
  10. current — of water
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — finally
  13. present — there
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. present — a gift
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cap — of ice
  19. last — to go on
  20. current — happening now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. board — a committee
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cap — a lid

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