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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — of law
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wound — an injury
  12. court — of a king
  13. perch — the fish
  14. court — for sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mark — a trace
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. field — for sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mark — to pay attention

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