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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 116 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cue — a hint
  4. staff — employees
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rock — a stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — music
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cue — a signal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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