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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spell — magic
  11. perch — the fish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — letters
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mate — to breed

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