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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — of ice
  7. swing — in golf
  8. ground — a position
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. snap — to click
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cap — a lid
  15. perch — the fish
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a line

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