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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cap — a hat
  4. deal — to handle
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. content — the amount
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. content — happy
  19. suit — to fit
  20. court — of a king
  21. suit — clothes
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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