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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — an injury
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fork — in a road
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. last — finally
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. staff — employees
  15. last — to go on
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — final
  21. perch — the fish
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. can — to be able to

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