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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. perch — the fish
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pop — soda
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pop — to visit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mug — a face
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. drill — army training
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mug — a cup
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — to recline
  24. squash — the vegetable

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