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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pound — a weight
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. scale — size or range
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mark — a grade
  8. scale — in music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fork — in a road
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mark — a trace
  19. foot — a measure
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. scale — for weighing

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