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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fork — in a road
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cap — a hat
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cold — not warm
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. snap — to click
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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