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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spring — of water
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. club — a group
  7. cold — not warm
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. foot — a measure
  13. club — for golf
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. club — for dancing
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spring — the season
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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