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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cap — a lid
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spring — the season
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cue — for pool
  10. perch — the fish
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. club — a group
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — of water
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. club — for dancing
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — a series
  22. club — for golf
  23. cap — of ice
  24. spring — a coil

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