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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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468
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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — ground
  4. rest — a break
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cell — in biology
  7. club — a group
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. snap — to click
  15. land — a country
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — to come down
  20. club — for dancing
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. perch — the fish
  23. club — for golf
  24. rest — what's left

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