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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: scale · perch · deal · mug · wound · drill · cold · pitcher

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mug — a face
  7. scale — in music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. drill — the tool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. drill — army training
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. drill — a practice
  24. scale — size or range

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