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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pound — a weight
  6. staff — employees
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. game — a match
  19. staff — employees
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bear — the animal

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