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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. drill — army training
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. last — to go on
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — finally
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. last — final
  19. chip — for betting
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chip — to eat

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