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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — in sport
  4. lie — to recline
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. court — of a king
  8. shower — rain
  9. dip — to sink
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. court — of law
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — to wash
  19. court — for sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wind — moving air

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