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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. land — ground
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ball — a great time
  8. land — to come down
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. land — a country
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cold — not warm
  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