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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mate — a friend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — the fish
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lean — thin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. swing — music
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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