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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. present — there
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — electric
  6. bulb — for light
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. present — a gift
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — to wash
  12. present — the time now
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. shower — rain
  17. current — of water
  18. fine — high quality
  19. hand — help
  20. scale — in music
  21. current — happening now
  22. fine — all right
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fine — a penalty

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