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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — for paper
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. perch — the fish
  8. shower — rain
  9. chip — to eat
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. season — of the year
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. squash — to crush
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. clip — to cut
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. season — in sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. chip — in a computer

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