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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a match
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mark — a grade
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. sharp — clever
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a lid
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cap — of ice
  17. present — the time now
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. perch — the fish
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. branch — a division
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cap — a hat

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