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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rock — music
  3. ground — a position
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cap — a hat
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ball — a great time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — of water
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — a stone
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ball — a dance
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. spring — a coil
  24. perch — for a bird

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