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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — a hat
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. firm — a company
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cap — a lid
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. tear — from crying
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. can — a tin
  16. firm — steady
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cap — of ice
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tear — to rip
  21. can — a tin
  22. perch — the fish
  23. firm — decided
  24. game — wild animals

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