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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — in football
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mark — a trace
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. scale — in music
  24. perch — the fish

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