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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. perch — the fish
  3. scale — in music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chest — a box
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — government
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fall — the season
  23. hand — help
  24. rule — a law

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