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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. current — of water
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bass — low music
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. shower — to wash
  14. current — electric
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. mine — for digging
  23. current — happening now
  24. bass — the fish

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