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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. degree — temperature
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — the month
  10. degree — from a university
  11. march — the month
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cap — of ice
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. march — music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. perch — the fish

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