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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. shower — to wash
  6. craft — boats
  7. chip — for betting
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. spell — magic
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rash — hasty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — to eat
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. rash — a series
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. shower — rain
  24. mine — belonging to me

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