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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lean — thin
  3. mate — a friend
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mate — a partner
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. land — ground
  19. swing — music
  20. land — to come down
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — a country

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