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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 124 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lie — to recline
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fine — all right
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fine — high quality
  24. lie — an untruth

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