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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cue — for pool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cue — a hint
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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