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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cold — not warm
  4. object — a thing
  5. staff — employees
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. firm — a company
  8. cap — of ice
  9. band — a ring
  10. cell — in biology
  11. staff — employees
  12. object — to protest
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rest — a break
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — an aim
  17. firm — steady
  18. band — a music group
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rest — what's left
  22. firm — decided
  23. rest — what's left
  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