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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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. rush — to hurry
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rule — government
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fine — all right
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cold — an illness
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rule — a law
  22. hand — help
  23. fine — high quality
  24. patient — a sick person

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