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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. firm — a company
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. perch — the fish
  6. hand — help
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — a tin
  9. firm — decided
  10. can — to be able to
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. key — the most important part
  15. firm — steady
  16. hand — in cards
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mine — an explosive
  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