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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cold — not warm
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. suit — clothes
  10. land — ground
  11. perch — the fish
  12. suit — in cards
  13. mate — a partner
  14. face — part of the head
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — to come down
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bark — to shout
  19. face — to confront
  20. mate — a friend
  21. land — a country
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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