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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rush — hurry
  4. current — happening now
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — electric
  9. cold — not warm
  10. net — after costs
  11. cold — an illness
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. face — part of the head
  14. current — of water
  15. plane — a tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. net — for catching
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. net — in sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. face — to confront

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