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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. pass — a permit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — rain
  9. sharp — clever
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fine — all right
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. scale — size or range
  18. perch — the fish
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pass — to succeed

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