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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. row — a line
  3. scale — in music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — final
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. perch — the fish
  9. last — finally
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. row — to paddle
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. content — the amount
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. last — to go on
  20. content — happy
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. coach — a trainer

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