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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cold — not warm

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