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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. scale — in music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. band — a music group
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bat — the animal
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. wound — an injury
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. perch — the fish
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a ring

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