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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. net — for catching
  4. snap — to click
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — in sport
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. face — to confront
  17. net — after costs
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. face — to point toward

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