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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kid — child
  8. foot — a measure
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. can — to be able to
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. race — a contest
  15. kick — in football
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. race — humankind
  19. land — a country
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. perch — the fish
  24. can — a tin

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