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

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. degree — temperature
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — not warm
  8. saw — the tool
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cold — an illness
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. jam — in traffic

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