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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — to protest
  3. key — for a lock
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. object — a thing
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — an aim
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tear — from crying
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mate — a partner
  21. key — in music
  22. rest — a break
  23. squash — to crush
  24. perch — for a bird

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