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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. land — to come down
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. land — a country
  11. can — a tin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. can — to be able to
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — ground
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cold — not warm
  24. saw — the tool

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