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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. perch — the fish
  6. firm — steady
  7. drill — a practice
  8. firm — decided
  9. hand — in cards
  10. last — final
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. last — to go on
  15. band — a music group
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. hand — help
  20. last — finally
  21. band — a ring
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. drill — army training

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