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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — the fruit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — a permit
  7. can — to be able to
  8. capital — a city
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — a tin
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. tear — from crying
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. perch — the fish
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bass — low music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — a tin
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — money

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