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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. face — part of the head
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mug — a face
  14. cap — of ice
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. face — to confront
  21. mug — to rob
  22. scale — in music
  23. face — to point toward
  24. perch — for a bird

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