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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cold — not warm
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pass — a permit
  13. face — to point toward
  14. craft — boats
  15. cold — an illness
  16. degree — from a university
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. face — to confront
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. craft — a skill
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — a handicraft

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