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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chip — to eat
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — for betting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. perch — the fish
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. ground — a position
  24. saw — the tool

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