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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cold — not warm
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. staff — a stick
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cold — an illness
  12. can — a tin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. staff — employees
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. deal — to handle
  22. can — a tin
  23. wound — an injury
  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