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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cap — a hat
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cap — a lid
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. row — to paddle
  13. suit — to fit
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — completely
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cap — of ice
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. row — a line

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