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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: firm · bat · wound · mate · cap · perch · ground · staff

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. firm — a company
  7. staff — employees
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ground — a position
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — steady
  23. mate — a friend
  24. ground — crushed

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