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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fall — the season
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ruler — a monarch

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