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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rock — music
  5. clip — for paper
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. clip — a video
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. capital — money
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — a hat
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hand — help
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. capital — a city
  24. rock — a stone

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