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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.

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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wake — a trail
  4. object — a thing
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rash — hasty
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. snap — to click
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rash — a series
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. object — an aim
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. kick — in football
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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