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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to click
  5. fall — the season
  6. charge — in control
  7. perch — the fish
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mate — to breed
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chip — for betting
  14. charge — a price
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chip — to eat
  18. root — of a word
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. root — the cause
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — of a plant

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