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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — the earth
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — the fish
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lie — to recline
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. branch — a division
  16. ground — crushed
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — a position
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bat — the animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. toast — bread

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