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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. squash — the sport
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. snap — to click
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rule — a law
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. perch — the fish
  17. root — the cause
  18. squash — to crush
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cold — not warm
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rule — government
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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