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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · leaves · dip · perch · mate · deal · pit · can

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mate — a partner
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pit — a hole
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. can — a tin
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. deal — to handle
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cold — not warm
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mate — a friend
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pit — in a race
  22. can — to be able to
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. can — a tin

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