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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
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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ground — crushed
  5. kid — to tease
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — child
  14. toast — bread
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ground — a position
  17. lie — to recline
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitch — completely
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. ground — the earth
  23. perch — the fish
  24. kick — in football

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