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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. drill — the tool
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — army training
  5. mark — a grade
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. track — a path
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stand — to bear
  20. drill — a practice
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bound — certain
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fall — the season

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