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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cap — a hat
  4. object — to protest
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cap — of ice
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. object — an aim
  13. perch — the fish
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — a short time
  20. object — a thing
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mark — a trace
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cap — a lid

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