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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. board — to get on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ground — a position
  8. scale — in music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. board — a committee
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. scale — size or range
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ground — the earth
  17. swing — in golf
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pass — a permit
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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