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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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 — the Cold War
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — finally
  4. lie — to recline
  5. staff — a stick
  6. club — for dancing
  7. last — to go on
  8. club — a group
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — to come down
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — for golf
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cold — not warm
  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