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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. perch — the fish
  5. foot — a measure
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rush — hurry
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — a line
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — to rip
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cap — a lid
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rest — a break
  24. perch — for a bird

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