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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. court — for sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. firm — a company
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. face — to confront
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. firm — decided
  13. bear — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. court — of a king
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. firm — steady
  22. snap — to click
  23. perch — the fish
  24. court — of law

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