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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rule — a law
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rule — government
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. capital — a city
  23. clip — a video
  24. perch — the fish

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