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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. board — to get on
  3. season — in sport
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — of the year
  8. lean — thin
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. game — wild animals
  15. board — a committee
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cap — a lid
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. game — a match
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — the Cold War

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