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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.

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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. chip — in a computer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. drill — army training
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — of a tree
  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