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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pit — in a race
  9. fall — the season
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pop — soda
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. object — to protest
  20. rash — a series
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. object — an aim
  24. fan — a supporter

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