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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. chest — a box
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — thin
  5. bore — to tire
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — size or range
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bore — to drill
  15. race — a contest
  16. court — for sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. race — humankind
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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