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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. chest — a box
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bass — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bass — low music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cap — a hat
  16. content — happy
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fine — all right
  20. content — the amount
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cap — a lid
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chest — of your body

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