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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chair — a leader
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cap — of ice
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. toast — bread
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — crushed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. row — a line
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ground — a position
  20. cap — a lid
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. perch — the fish
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chair — a professorship

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