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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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Word bank
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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kid — child
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. degree — temperature
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — to tease

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