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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 124 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. drill — a practice
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rock — music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rock — a stone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cap — a hat
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — army training
  22. file — a document
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — the tool

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