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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. perch — the fish

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