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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — hurry
  3. land — a country
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fine — high quality
  8. perch — the fish
  9. field — for sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. spell — magic
  14. land — to come down
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fine — all right
  17. field — a subject
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — letters
  22. fall — the season
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — ground

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