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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.

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: cabinet · fine · capital · cold · season · rush · mouse · stick

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — all right
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. capital — a city
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. capital — money
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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