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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — final
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. craft — boats

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