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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — a list
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cold — an illness
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cap — of ice
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wind — to turn a key

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