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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. board — a committee
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cap — a lid
  10. track — a path
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cap — of ice
  15. board — to get on
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rush — hurry
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — money
  21. kick — in football
  22. toast — bread
  23. perch — the fish
  24. capital — a city

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