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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: dip · rash · cold · board · nail · cell · chest · cap

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — a hat
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chest — a box
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chest — of your body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. board — to get on
  22. cap — a lid
  23. board — a committee
  24. cap — of ice

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