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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bass — low music
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — employees
  17. bass — the fish
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wake — before a funeral

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