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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. season — in sport
  3. cold — not warm
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cap — a hat
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cap — a lid
  14. roll — a list
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. cap — of ice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stand — to bear
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. foot — a measure
  24. roll — on a roll

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