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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. key — in music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rash — a series
  7. key — the most important part
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mug — a face
  12. game — a match
  13. mug — a cup
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mug — to rob
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pound — for dogs

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