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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: cap · bat · perch · kick · snap · rule · shower · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rule — government
  7. snap — to click
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cap — a lid
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kick — in football
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rule — a law
  19. shower — rain
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bat — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

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