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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 120 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fork — in a road
  3. file — a document
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cell — a phone
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — the season
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. file — a tool

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