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

Word bank: snap · cap · pound · toast · chest · stick · perch · dip

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. toast — bread
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chest — of your body
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. snap — to click
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. chest — a box

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