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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cap — of ice
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. spring — of water
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rash — a series
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. snap — to click
  24. perch — the fish

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