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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 124 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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Word bank
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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rule — a law
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rule — government
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — the season
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — a match
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. lie — to recline
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. arm — part of the body

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