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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. club — a group
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kid — child
  5. land — a country
  6. mug — a face
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. court — of law
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — ground
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. kid — to tease
  17. court — for sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. court — of a king
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — to come down
  22. mug — a cup
  23. perch — the fish
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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