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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 124 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bulb — for light
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bat — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — ground
  8. scale — size or range
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. net — in sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — after costs
  15. perch — the fish
  16. land — a country
  17. net — for catching
  18. scale — in music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bulb — for light
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. land — to come down
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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