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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — the month
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. perch — the fish
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wind — to turn a key

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