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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cold — an illness
  4. race — humankind
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mug — a face
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. race — a contest
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fall — the season
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mug — to rob
  24. prune — the fruit

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