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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cap — a hat
  3. suit — clothes
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — help
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — from a university
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fork — in a road

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