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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — not warm
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cold — an illness
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. spell — letters
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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