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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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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cap — of ice
  3. current — of water
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — a practice
  6. current — happening now
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — a committee
  10. cap — a hat
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — moving air
  17. drill — the tool
  18. board — to get on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cap — a lid
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. current — electric

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