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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — to go on
  5. roll — a cake
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. roll — a list
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fork — in a road
  10. club — a group
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. last — finally
  18. club — for golf
  19. kick — in football
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. last — final
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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