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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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468
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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spell — letters
  8. present — the time now
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ball — a dance
  13. present — there
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — magic
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. scale — in music
  19. kick — in football
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. spell — a short time
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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