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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cue — for pool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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