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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. band — a ring
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — the season
  12. degree — from a university
  13. band — a music group
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rock — a stone
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rock — music
  18. degree — an amount
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — temperature
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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