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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: kick · tear · cold · key · club · perch · scale · stick

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. scale — size or range
  3. key — the most important part
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — in football
  6. cold — an illness
  7. key — for a lock
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. scale — in music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. club — for golf
  18. cold — not warm
  19. key — in music
  20. club — a group
  21. tear — to rip
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. club — for dancing

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