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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cue — for pool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cue — a hint
  13. plane — a tool
  14. kid — child
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in biology
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. perch — the fish
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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