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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cold — not warm
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mug — to rob
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mug — a face
  17. cold — an illness
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. key — in music
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rash — a series
  24. cell — in biology

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