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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: ball · leaves · cold · cell · present · nail · fan · hide

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. present — the time now
  6. cell — in biology
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fan — to cool the air

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