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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · mate · perch · land · rock · object · kick · snap

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. object — to protest
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — ground
  7. object — an aim
  8. squash — the sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mate — to breed
  12. object — a thing
  13. kick — in football
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — a country
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. perch — for a bird

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