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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 · wake · cap · drill · bat · perch · track · jam

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rest — a break
  11. drill — army training
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bat — the animal
  15. track — a path
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cap — of ice
  19. perch — the fish
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rest — what's left
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. track — a song
  24. jam — a tight spot

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