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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lean — to bend
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spell — letters
  7. rush — hurry
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chip — to eat
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — thin
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spell — magic
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chip — for betting

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