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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: foot · scale · mark · bat · cap · row · perch · pound

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cap — of ice
  3. row — a line
  4. mark — a grade
  5. row — to paddle
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. foot — a measure
  10. scale — in music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. scale — size or range
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bat — the animal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cap — a hat
  24. perch — for a bird

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