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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spring — a coil
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a trace
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. squash — to crush
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. squash — the sport
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spring — the season
  19. sharp — clever
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. sharp — exactly

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