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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rock — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. content — happy
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. content — the amount
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — for pool
  24. safe — out of danger

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