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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.

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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. march — music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. march — the month
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cap — of ice
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cold — not warm
  13. object — to protest
  14. stock — shares
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stock — goods
  17. object — a thing
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. march — the month
  20. cold — an illness
  21. perch — the fish
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cap — a lid

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