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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rash — a series
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pass — a permit
  24. perch — for a bird

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