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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — a partner
  6. can — to be able to
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cell — in biology
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cap — a lid
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pitch — completely
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kick — in football
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. kick — a thrill

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