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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. object — an aim
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — to confront
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. face — to point toward
  11. hand — help
  12. face — part of the head
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to click
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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