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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. roll — a cake
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pop — soda
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — in music
  18. ground — a position
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. key — for a lock
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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