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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. staff — employees
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — a stick
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rule — government
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. kid — child
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. staff — employees
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rule — a law
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. perch — the fish

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