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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. present — there
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fall — the season
  8. kid — child
  9. fall — to drop
  10. face — to point toward
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. present — a gift
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pop — soda
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pop — music
  24. present — the time now

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