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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. charge — in control
  9. face — part of the head
  10. charge — electricity
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rash — a series
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — the animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. charge — a price
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. face — to point toward
  23. perch — the fish
  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