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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. lean — thin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lean — to rest against

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