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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. content — happy
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. shower — rain
  8. key — for a lock
  9. perch — the fish
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. squash — the sport
  12. firm — a company
  13. drill — the tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. drill — army training
  18. squash — to crush
  19. key — in music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. content — the amount
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. key — the most important part

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