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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tear — to rip
  3. sharp — clever
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. charge — in control
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bass — low music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. present — the time now
  12. last — final
  13. charge — electricity
  14. present — a gift
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. last — to go on
  18. present — there
  19. cap — a lid
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — a price
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cap — a hat
  24. last — finally

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