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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. season — of the year
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. season — in sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — to wash
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. perch — the fish
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fine — all right

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