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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. foot — a measure
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — of ice
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — for paper
  9. net — in sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. net — for catching
  14. clip — to cut
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — a video
  17. cap — a hat
  18. suit — in cards
  19. net — after costs
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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