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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — a country
  12. cap — a hat
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mate — to breed
  16. land — to come down
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chair — a leader
  21. perch — the fish
  22. land — ground
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mate — a friend

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