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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pop — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fall — the season
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mate — a friend
  9. roll — a list
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — to visit
  13. roll — a cake
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pop — soda
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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