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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — in music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. suit — clothes
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. suit — to fit
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. track — a song
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bulb — for light
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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