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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. nail — for a hammer
  4. season — in sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. row — a line
  7. season — of the year
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. perch — the fish
  14. date — the fruit
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. row — to paddle
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to click

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