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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. key — in music
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. hand — help
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. capital — money
  10. cold — an illness
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. hand — in cards
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. net — after costs
  17. key — the most important part
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bear — the animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bear — the animal

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