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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bark — to shout
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. ball — a great time
  18. kick — in football
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — an injury
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — of a tree

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