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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: mine · kid · foot · perch · wake · present · pound · pit

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. present — a gift
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kid — child
  16. pound — a weight
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. foot — a measure
  23. perch — the fish
  24. kid — to tease

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