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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a song
  8. wound — an injury
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a path
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stock — goods
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stock — shares
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. arm — part of the body

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