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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 116 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hand — in cards
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rash — hasty
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — a series
  10. net — after costs
  11. hand — help
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. net — for catching
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. net — in sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — the fish
  24. hand — 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