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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: suit · fan · cold · hide · rule · game · capital · stem

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. game — wild animals
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. game — a match
  9. rule — a law
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. capital — money
  17. suit — in cards
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rule — government
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cold — not warm

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