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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · bark · cap · pit · pitcher · hand · fine · perch

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — all right
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cap — a hat
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fine — high quality
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cap — of ice
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — to shout

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