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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: fall · bowl · cold · bear · track · can · mark · season

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fall — the season
  4. cold — not warm
  5. can — a tin
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. season — of the year
  10. mark — a grade
  11. track — to keep track
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. track — a song
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fall — to drop
  22. season — in sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a path

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