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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cold — not warm
  11. craft — boats
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitch — completely
  16. roll — a list
  17. season — of the year
  18. craft — a skill
  19. season — in sport
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mark — a grade
  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