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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — a trail
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. land — to come down
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. land — a country
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cold — not warm
  22. land — ground
  23. march — the month
  24. cold — an illness

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