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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fine — all right
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — for catching
  7. fine — high quality
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. march — the month
  10. chair — a leader
  11. march — the month
  12. net — after costs
  13. march — music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. net — in sport
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cap — a lid
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cap — of ice
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. ruler — a monarch

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