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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rock — music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cue — a hint
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mate — to breed
  11. kid — to tease
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cue — a signal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. club — for golf
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kid — child
  24. cue — for pool

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