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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. perch — the fish
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cap — a lid
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mug — to rob
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a great time
  15. spring — the season
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cap — of ice
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mug — a face
  20. cap — a hat
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mug — a cup
  24. temple — a place of worship

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