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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 116 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: bear · row · cold · cabinet · wind · safe · cap · last

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cap — a hat
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. row — a line
  16. last — final
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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