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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rule — government
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cold — an illness
  7. can — to be able to
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. can — a tin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bass — low music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. can — a tin
  21. rule — a law
  22. face — to confront
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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