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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.

Make a worksheet

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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — low music
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. spell — magic
  10. spring — of water
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. perch — the fish
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. row — a line
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spell — a short time
  20. face — to confront
  21. spring — the season
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fork — in a road
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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