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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rock — a stone
  6. deal — to handle
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mate — a friend
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fall — the season
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mate — a partner
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fall — to drop
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rock — music
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cap — a lid

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