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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ground — the earth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fall — the season
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — a phone
  14. court — for sport
  15. rule — a law
  16. court — of a king
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — in biology
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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