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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. game — a match
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — a trace
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bear — the animal

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