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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mate — to breed
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. club — for golf
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ball — a dance
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. club — a group
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mate — a friend

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