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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — size or range
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hand — help
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — in sport
  17. mark — a grade
  18. net — for catching
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — in cards
  22. scale — in music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mark — a trace

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