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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cell — in biology
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. key — in music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — a hat
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rule — a law
  11. ball — a great time
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — the fish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. key — for a lock
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. face — to confront

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