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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — money
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. scale — in music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. can — a tin
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stand — to bear
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — a video
  18. capital — a city
  19. cold — not warm
  20. suit — clothes
  21. can — to be able to
  22. suit — in cards
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. suit — to fit

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