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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. charge — electricity
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fine — all right
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. charge — a price
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. capital — a city
  20. mark — a trace
  21. charge — in control
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mark — a grade

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