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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — hasty
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — part of the head
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — farmland
  10. deal — to handle
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. face — to confront
  17. key — in music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — to point toward
  21. key — the most important part
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. field — a subject

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