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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 120 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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cold — not warm
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cap — a hat
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tear — from crying
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cold — an illness
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tear — from crying
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tear — to rip

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