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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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. roll — a list
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. perch — the fish
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cold — an illness
  10. last — to go on
  11. current — of water
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. last — final
  16. staff — employees
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. staff — a stick
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cold — not warm

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