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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rest — what's left
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rest — a break
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. can — a tin
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cold — an illness
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cold — not warm
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ground — a position

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