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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rule — government
  7. charge — a price
  8. bear — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rule — a law
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. arm — a part of something

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