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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cold — not warm
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. plane — a tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mark — a grade
  22. snap — to click
  23. wind — moving air
  24. perch — for a bird

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