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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. spell — a short time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — a match
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — wild animals
  12. season — in sport
  13. chair — a leader
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. clip — a video
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. season — of the year
  20. clip — for paper
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spell — magic
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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