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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — electric
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. current — of water
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. current — happening now
  22. ground — crushed
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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