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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — in football
  6. can — to be able to
  7. clip — a video
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — for paper
  10. can — a tin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. toast — bread
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. firm — steady
  19. rash — a series
  20. bear — the animal
  21. firm — a company
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rash — hasty
  24. firm — decided

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