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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — for sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — the animal
  12. charge — electricity
  13. root — of a word
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — a price
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. perch — the fish
  19. charge — in control
  20. field — a subject
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. root — the cause
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. field — farmland

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