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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — a box
  4. shower — to wash
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lean — thin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. snap — to click
  12. lean — to bend
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. perch — the fish
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chest — of your body
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. scale — in music
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — rain

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