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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bank — for money
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bank — for money
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. key — in music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. key — the most important part
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bank — of a river
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — an illness
  24. key — for a lock

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