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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. game — a match
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lean — thin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lie — to recline
  18. root — of a word
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. root — of a plant
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. perch — the fish
  24. arm — part of the body

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