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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — size or range
  5. season — of the year
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — the fish
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chair — a leader
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. snap — to click
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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