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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — for sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tube — a container
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. field — a subject
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. field — farmland
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — of the sea

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