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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: rest · kick · fan · cap · present · perch · foot · dip

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. present — a gift
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. present — there
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — a hat
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rest — a break
  18. kick — in football
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. foot — a measure
  21. present — the time now
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fan — to cool the air

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