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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — finally
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — for sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. last — to go on

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