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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — a city
  5. sharp — clever
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. present — a gift
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. perch — the fish
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. capital — money
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. present — there
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. present — the time now
  24. lash — an eyelash

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