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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pit — a hole
  3. file — a document
  4. current — happening now
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. current — electric
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. current — of water
  12. perch — the fish
  13. march — music
  14. craft — a skill
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. march — the month
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. pit — in a race
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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