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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. ________________ 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. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — army training
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ground — a position
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rule — government
  8. drill — a practice
  9. scale — in music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. lean — thin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rule — a law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. 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