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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cue — a signal
  3. ground — a position
  4. stand — to bear
  5. ground — crushed
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. scale — size or range
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ground — the earth

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