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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. staff — employees
  13. bass — low music
  14. staff — a stick
  15. field — for sport
  16. cap — a hat
  17. file — a tool
  18. suit — clothes
  19. field — a subject
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. suit — to fit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. suit — in cards
  24. perch — the fish

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