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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: kid · rest · wake · board · cold · club · cap · cabinet

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rest — a break
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cap — a hat
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. board — a committee
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cap — of ice
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cap — a lid
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. club — for golf
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kid — child

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