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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. perch — the fish
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. club — for dancing
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. club — a group
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — army training
  15. club — for golf
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. drill — a practice
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. drill — the tool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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