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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 water is too ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. cold — not warm
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fork — in a road
  7. last — to go on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — finally
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. court — for sport
  12. last — final
  13. bass — low music
  14. court — of a king
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. court — of law
  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