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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. staff — employees
  10. perch — the fish
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lean — to bend
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lean — thin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. arm — a part of something

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