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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: spring · perch · mate · lie · club · scale · race · kick

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — size or range
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mate — to breed
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — the season
  7. race — humankind
  8. mate — a partner
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lie — to recline
  12. race — the arms race
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. club — for dancing
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. scale — in music
  23. spring — of water
  24. lie — an untruth

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