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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — to eat
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wind — moving air
  6. perch — the fish
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. last — finally
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. squash — to crush
  14. chip — for betting
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. last — final
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. last — to go on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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