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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — magic
  6. kick — in football
  7. roll — a list
  8. spell — a short time
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cell — a phone
  12. dip — to sink
  13. roll — a cake
  14. spell — letters
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. leaves — to go away

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