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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — a hat
  3. band — a music group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cap — a lid
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. court — of law
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — all right
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fine — high quality
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of a king
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. band — a rubber band

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