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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — for light
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. can — to be able to
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a song
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — to keep track
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — a contest
  18. land — ground
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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