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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. object — to protest
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pound — a weight
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to confront
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wound — an injury
  16. object — an aim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — an injury
  19. object — a thing
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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