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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — magic
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. perch — the fish
  6. spell — letters
  7. staff — employees
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. staff — a stick
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. staff — employees

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