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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. perch — the fish
  4. shower — rain
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. suit — clothes
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. suit — in cards
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wake — a trail
  13. suit — to fit
  14. file — a document
  15. cap — of ice
  16. toast — bread
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. shower — to wash
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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