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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. game — a match
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. land — ground
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. squash — the sport
  11. land — a country
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. land — to come down
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spring — of water
  19. squash — to crush
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. perch — for a bird

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