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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. swing — music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. swing — in golf
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. perch — the fish
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bass — low music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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