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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. march — music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — money
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pound — a weight
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — a city
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stand — on your feet

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