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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. craft — boats
  4. present — there
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rock — music
  10. present — a gift
  11. capital — money
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. perch — the fish
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. capital — a city
  22. present — the time now
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bowl — a dish

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