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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. face — to confront
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — ground
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chest — a box
  11. face — to point toward
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — to come down
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. land — a country
  23. perch — the fish
  24. toast — bread

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