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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bat — the animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. season — in sport
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mug — a face
  24. fan — to cool the air

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