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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cap — a lid
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. cap — a hat
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spell — magic
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bass — low music
  14. face — part of the head
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spell — letters
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — an explosive

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