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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. degree — from a university
  8. shower — rain
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. degree — an amount
  13. key — in music
  14. craft — boats
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. perch — the fish
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. degree — temperature
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wake — a trail

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