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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. object — an aim
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fall — the season
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a tool
  9. spring — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. file — a document
  23. spring — of water
  24. file — a line of people

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