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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — a group
  4. hand — help
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. current — happening now
  8. capital — a city
  9. deal — to handle
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — money
  15. club — for golf
  16. craft — boats
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. current — electric
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — of water
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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