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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — a measure
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — a trail
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — a break
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. current — happening now

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