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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cap — of ice
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cold — not warm
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. leaves — of a tree

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