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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · board · mate · bat · cold · toast · stick · spell

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mate — a partner
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. toast — bread
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cold — an illness
  14. board — a committee
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spell — magic
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. board — to get on
  24. mate — to breed

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