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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — finally
  3. roll — a cake
  4. last — final
  5. suit — to fit
  6. fine — high quality
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. suit — in cards
  12. last — to go on
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. suit — clothes
  15. squash — to crush
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. roll — a list
  19. clip — for paper
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. fine — all right
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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