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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fork — in a road
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fine — all right
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fine — high quality
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — an explosive

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