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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — the arms race
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. file — a tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — letters
  10. file — a line of people
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. race — a contest
  16. spell — magic
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. file — a document
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lean — to rest against

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