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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. court — for sport
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fall — the season
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cold — not warm
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — of a king
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — help
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — of law
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stand — to bear
  24. can — to be able to

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