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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. perch — the fish
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cue — for pool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cap — a hat
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — a trail
  15. capital — money
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. capital — a city
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cap — of ice
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. shower — rain
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cap — a lid

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