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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. squash — to crush
  4. last — finally
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. land — to come down
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mark — a grade
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mark — to pay attention

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