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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. row — to paddle
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cold — not warm
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. game — wild animals
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. perch — the fish
  12. vault — a safe
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. snap — to click
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a match

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