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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: drill · pass · kid · fork · perch · stick · cell · cap

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kid — to tease
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kid — child
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cap — a lid

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