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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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468
Word bank
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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kid — child
  3. pass — a permit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kid — to tease
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. spell — magic
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — letters
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. toast — bread
  19. wind — moving air
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. perch — for a bird

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