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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. perch — the fish
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fine — high quality
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fine — all right
  19. march — music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. calf — a young animal

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