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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rash — a series
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. net — for catching
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mate — a friend
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. net — after costs
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mate — a partner
  18. net — in sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mate — to breed

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