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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mark — a trace
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. date — the fruit
  21. drill — army training
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mark — a grade

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