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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ground — crushed
  5. capital — a city
  6. cold — not warm
  7. file — a tool
  8. stand — to bear
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — the earth
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. capital — money
  14. file — a document
  15. hand — help
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. file — a line of people
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ground — a position
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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