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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to click
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. spring — the season
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wake — a trail
  12. scale — in music
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spring — of water
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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