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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cue — a hint
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. root — the cause
  7. charge — a price
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. root — of a word
  10. capital — a city
  11. charge — in control
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — the fish
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. charge — electricity
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cue — a signal
  24. capital — money

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