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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ground — a position
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rule — government
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rule — a law

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