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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. roll — a list
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. key — in music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. capital — money
  10. roll — a cake
  11. capital — a city
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. key — the most important part
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. perch — the fish
  24. plane — an aircraft

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