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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cue — a signal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. land — a country
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tube — a container
  16. land — to come down
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — ground
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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