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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. key — the most important part
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — in music
  8. stand — to bear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. scale — size or range
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. perch — the fish
  22. key — in music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — to eat with

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