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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: toast · roll · cap · ruler · leaves · perch · pop · lie

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pop — to visit
  3. toast — bread
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. perch — the fish
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pop — music
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pop — soda
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cap — of ice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. roll — a list
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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