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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. band — a ring
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cold — an illness
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pop — music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. band — a music group
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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