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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. perch — the fish
  6. scale — in music
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. calf — a young animal

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