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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pass — a permit
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pop — music
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. swing — music
  18. cap — of ice
  19. perch — the fish
  20. field — a subject
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pop — soda

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