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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. shower — rain
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cap — a hat
  8. object — to protest
  9. rule — government
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rule — a law
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chest — a box
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. perch — the fish
  24. object — an aim

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