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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — of water
  5. game — wild animals
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rest — what's left
  8. foot — a measure
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. current — happening now
  12. wound — an injury
  13. current — electric
  14. game — a match
  15. rest — what's left
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rest — a break
  21. squash — the sport
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. squash — to crush

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