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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. perch — the fish
  3. charge — a price
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ground — the earth
  6. scale — in music
  7. present — a gift
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. charge — in control
  13. bore — to drill
  14. ground — a position
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. shower — to wash
  19. present — there
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. charge — electricity
  23. present — the time now
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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