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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. perch — the fish
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — in sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. season — of the year
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cap — of ice
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. shower — rain
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pit — in a race

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