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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. present — the time now
  3. bound — tied together
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lie — to recline
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — of ice
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cap — a lid
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. shower — to wash
  24. straw — dry grass

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