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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cap — a hat
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cap — of ice
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — the season
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — for digging
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rest — a break
  20. cap — a lid
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — an explosive

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