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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stem — to come from
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. perch — the fish
  10. charge — a price
  11. suit — clothes
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. suit — to fit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pound — a weight
  19. suit — in cards
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. charge — in control
  24. kick — in football

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