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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cue — for pool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — in music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. scale — size or range
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cue — a hint
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ground — crushed
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ground — a position
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cue — a signal

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