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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. spring — the season
  3. bass — the fish
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cap — a lid
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spring — a coil
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. suit — in cards
  13. field — for sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — of water
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. suit — clothes
  18. field — farmland
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bass — low music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — a subject
  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