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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spell — letters
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. current — of water
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. spell — a short time
  11. drill — the tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. current — happening now
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rock — music
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spell — magic
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. kick — in football
  20. roll — a list
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. drill — army training
  23. roll — a cake
  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