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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitch — completely
  5. race — the arms race
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cell — in biology
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. drill — army training
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cell — a phone
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. perch — the fish
  20. drill — the tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. snap — to click
  24. straw — dry grass

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