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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: object · toast · perch · land · cap · season · last · hand

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — help
  3. season — in sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. object — an aim
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — of the year
  11. last — to go on
  12. hand — in cards
  13. last — finally
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. land — a country
  17. object — a thing
  18. toast — bread
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. land — ground
  21. perch — the fish
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — final
  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