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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — moving air
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — of ice
  14. net — after costs
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. net — in sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. scale — in music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. scale — size or range
  24. net — for catching

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