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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 124 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pass — a permit
  3. game — a match
  4. cap — of ice
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. net — after costs
  7. cap — a lid
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. net — for catching
  11. perch — the fish
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. net — in sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. root — of a word

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