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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. shower — to wash
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. shower — rain
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. patient — a sick person

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