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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 120 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. kick — in football
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. last — finally
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. last — to go on
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. last — final
  22. clip — a video
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. pass — a permit

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