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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. firm — decided
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. present — a gift
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spell — magic
  11. chip — for betting
  12. shower — rain
  13. firm — steady
  14. spell — a short time
  15. perch — the fish
  16. firm — a company
  17. present — there
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — letters
  21. kid — to tease
  22. present — the time now
  23. chip — to eat
  24. shower — to wash

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