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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. band — a ring
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. deal — to handle
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. drill — army training
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. band — a music group
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. drill — the tool
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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