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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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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: cold · plane · cap · roll · rush · cabinet · can · game

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cold — not warm
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cold — an illness
  7. roll — a list
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. game — a match
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rush — hurry
  15. roll — a cake
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. can — a tin
  19. cap — a hat
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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