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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — final
  3. bound — certain
  4. cue — a signal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bound — obliged
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitch — completely
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. shower — rain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cue — for pool
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — a hint
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — to wash

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