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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 116 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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. current — happening now
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. current — of water
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kid — child
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. current — electric
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fine — all right

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