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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. perch — the fish
  5. drill — the tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. spring — the season
  10. clip — to cut
  11. suit — to fit
  12. lie — to recline
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — of water
  15. drill — army training
  16. ground — a position
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. clip — for paper
  24. ground — the earth

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