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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: snap · file · cold · rule · season · fall · calf · object

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fall — to drop
  3. object — a thing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fall — the season
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. file — a document
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cold — not warm
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. snap — to click
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rule — government
  18. object — to protest
  19. rule — a law
  20. object — an aim
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. season — in sport
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a tool

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