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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lean — thin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — of law
  12. cell — a phone
  13. charge — electricity
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. charge — a price
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. court — of a king
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cell — in biology
  22. court — for sport
  23. charge — in control
  24. perch — for a bird

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