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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — for a lock
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bound — certain
  7. drill — the tool
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bound — obliged
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. game — a match
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — tied together
  18. key — the most important part
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — in music
  23. snap — to click
  24. game — wild animals

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