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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. date — the fruit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chest — a box
  11. club — a group
  12. spell — letters
  13. rock — music
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. spell — magic
  16. chest — of your body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — for golf
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. club — for dancing

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