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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 water is too ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. track — a song
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. lean — thin
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. track — a path
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cold — an illness

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