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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — of water
  16. land — ground
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — hurry
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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