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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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. safe — a strongbox
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. swing — to play on
  7. court — of a king
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. court — of law
  12. swing — music
  13. court — for sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — a hat

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