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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fall — to drop
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to click
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stock — shares
  20. fall — the season
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bore — to tire
  24. perch — for a bird

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