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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. saw — the tool
  3. scale — in music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pound — a weight
  8. last — final
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. last — to go on
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. foot — a measure
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. perch — the fish

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