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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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