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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fork — in a road
  4. perch — the fish
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. kick — in football
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — to keep track
  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