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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chest — of your body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chest — a box
  6. tube — the underground
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a music group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cap — a hat
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cap — of ice
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. band — a ring

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