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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rash — hasty
  11. perch — the fish
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. court — for sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. court — of a king
  17. mine — for digging
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of law
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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