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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — wild animals
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fall — the season
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a match
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish

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