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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pit — a hole
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. root — of a plant
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — a stone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. charge — electricity
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. root — the cause
  17. row — to paddle
  18. root — of a word
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rock — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. branch — a division
  24. row — a line

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