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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. scale — in music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rule — a law
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rule — government
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. ruler — for measuring

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