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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. key — for a lock
  4. firm — decided
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. march — music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. firm — steady
  12. key — the most important part
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. firm — a company
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. key — in music
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — 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