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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cap — a lid
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. content — happy
  14. object — to protest
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. object — an aim
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — of ice
  21. object — a thing
  22. content — the amount
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chair — to sit on

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