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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cell — a phone
  3. craft — boats
  4. club — a group
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. club — for golf
  7. cap — a lid
  8. club — for dancing
  9. face — part of the head
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — to point toward
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a hat
  14. lean — thin
  15. craft — a skill
  16. lean — to bend
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. face — to confront
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cell — in biology

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