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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. stem — to come from
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — to confront
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pop — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. face — part of the head
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pop — soda
  23. cold — not warm
  24. perch — the fish

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