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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bound — tied together
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pop — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — in biology
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bound — certain
  22. pop — soda
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — in a prison

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