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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. drill — army training
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. scale — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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