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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rule — a law
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chest — a box
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rule — government
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lean — thin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. perch — the fish
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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