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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mug — a face
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mug — to rob
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mug — a cup
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rest — a break
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cap — a hat

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