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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. game — a match
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. cap — of ice
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. game — wild animals
  17. snap — to click
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — in biology
  24. perch — the fish

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