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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — finally
  3. chest — a box
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. club — a group
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wake — a trail
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chest — of your body
  11. club — for dancing
  12. row — a line
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. foot — a measure
  15. row — to paddle
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. perch — the fish
  22. club — for golf
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. trunk — of a car

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