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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. perch — the fish
  5. capital — a city
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — money
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. scale — in music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. object — to protest
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — child
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. object — a thing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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