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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pop — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ground — a position
  8. pop — soda
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — a leader
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. scale — size or range

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