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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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 bend
  3. perch — the fish
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. last — to go on
  7. charge — a price
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cell — in biology
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — finally
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lean — thin
  23. last — final
  24. charge — in control

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