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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cold — not warm
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cap — a hat
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fork — in a road
  17. sharp — clever
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. coach — a trainer

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