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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — letters
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chair — a leader
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wind — moving air
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — electric
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. current — of water

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