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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — a box
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. season — of the year
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chest — of your body
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — the fish
  13. season — in sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mouse — for a computer

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