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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pop — soda
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a path
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. track — a song
  12. board — to get on
  13. kick — in football
  14. perch — the fish
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tear — to rip
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pop — music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. board — a committee
  24. track — to keep track

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