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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — for money
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. cap — a hat
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. ball — a great time

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