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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. game — wild animals
  11. land — a country
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. current — electric
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. current — happening now
  16. land — to come down
  17. lean — to bend
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. land — ground
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — of water
  23. game — a match
  24. bay — a horse colour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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