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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. firm — decided
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. last — to go on
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — final
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. last — finally
  23. firm — steady
  24. arm — a part of something

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