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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
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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: cap · season · rock · fan · jam · rule · chest · cold

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rock — music
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chest — of your body
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rule — government
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rule — a law
  21. cap — of ice
  22. chest — a box
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. season — to add flavour

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