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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rest — what's left
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. spell — letters
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rest — a break
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cold — an illness
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cold — not warm

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