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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — farmland
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — an illness
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ball — a dance
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bank — of a river
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ball — a great time
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. dip — a sauce

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