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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cue — a hint
  3. land — a country
  4. key — in music
  5. land — to come down
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — the most important part
  12. spell — letters
  13. key — for a lock
  14. spell — magic
  15. perch — the fish
  16. land — ground
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cue — for pool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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