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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mate — a partner
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mate — to breed
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. kick — in football
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mate — a friend
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — in music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bulb — for light
  24. sharp — with an edge

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