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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · bound · foot · sharp · clip · perch · season · race

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bound — obliged
  5. sharp — clever
  6. clip — for paper
  7. race — a contest
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bound — certain
  10. clip — a video
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. perch — the fish
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. race — the arms race
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. season — in sport
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bound — tied together
  21. race — humankind
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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