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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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. stem — of a plant
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. file — a tool
  11. hand — help
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stock — goods
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stock — shares
  17. cue — a hint
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mug — a cup
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mug — a face

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