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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — for catching
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. game — a match
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. net — in sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fine — all right
  15. cue — a hint
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — high quality
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cue — a signal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. net — after costs
  24. game — wild animals

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