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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. shower — to wash
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. plane — a tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. roll — a cake
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. foot — a measure
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. row — a line
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. shower — rain

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