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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. present — a gift
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. present — there
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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