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

Word bank: rule · cold · pass · trunk · cap · wake · object · file

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rule — a law
  9. object — an aim
  10. cap — a lid
  11. file — a document
  12. object — a thing
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. file — a tool
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. object — to protest

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