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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. face — to confront
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — of ice
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cap — a hat
  21. perch — the fish
  22. shower — rain
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cue — a hint

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