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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. snap — to click
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cap — of ice
  11. drill — army training
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. drill — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rush — hurry
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cap — a lid
  24. scale — in music

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