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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chest — of your body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chair — a leader
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — there
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chest — a box
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kick — in football
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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