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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. perch — the fish
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lie — to recline
  8. capital — money
  9. fork — in a road
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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