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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. drill — army training
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. key — the most important part
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kick — in football
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — for sport
  17. key — in music
  18. field — a subject
  19. pound — a weight
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — the tool
  22. field — farmland
  23. key — for a lock
  24. trunk — of a car

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