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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. last — finally
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. hand — help
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kick — in football
  16. last — to go on
  17. foot — a measure
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. scale — in music
  22. pass — a permit
  23. last — final
  24. mine — an explosive

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