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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. charge — in control
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitch — completely
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — child
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wax — to grow
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mate — a friend

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