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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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468
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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. capital — a city
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. race — humankind
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cold — not warm
  13. race — the arms race
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — a contest
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. capital — money
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chair — a leader
  24. jam — a tight spot

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