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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: perch · club · racket · cold · roll · cap · fine · bore

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cap — of ice
  3. club — for golf
  4. cap — a lid
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cap — a hat
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — all right
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bore — to tire
  16. roll — a list
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fine — high quality
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cold — not warm
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cold — an illness

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