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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. chest — a box
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — of ice
  4. march — music
  5. last — to go on
  6. cap — a hat
  7. last — final
  8. chest — of your body
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. last — finally
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mug — to rob
  14. perch — the fish
  15. staff — a stick
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — employees
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. cap — a lid
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — an untruth
  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