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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fine — all right
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — a series
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — wild animals
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. game — a match
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rash — hasty

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