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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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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: kid · cue · mark · foot · leaves · perch · last · pitcher

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — finally
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cue — a signal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cue — a hint
  24. last — final

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