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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bat — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. perch — the fish
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cap — a lid
  9. band — a music group
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. band — a ring
  21. rule — government
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rule — a law

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