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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cap — a lid
  10. season — in sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — a hat
  15. tube — a container
  16. season — of the year
  17. tube — the underground
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wind — moving air
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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