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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — happening now
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cold — not warm
  10. current — of water
  11. mug — to rob
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mug — a face
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — electric
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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