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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · perch · foot · cue · wound · rule · bay · bat

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cue — a signal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rule — government
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cue — for pool
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rule — a law

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