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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wake — a trail
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pop — music
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pop — soda
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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