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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: cold · toast · deal · mug · season · cap · lash · chest

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. season — in sport
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. season — of the year
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chest — a box
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cold — not warm
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mug — a face
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mug — to rob
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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