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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hide · can · cabinet · fine · cold · key · date · cap

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cap — of ice
  6. date — the fruit
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cap — a lid
  14. key — in music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fine — high quality

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