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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. capital — money
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — to get on
  11. capital — a city
  12. board — a committee
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rest — a break
  20. stand — to bear
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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