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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. land — ground
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. squash — the sport
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. current — happening now
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fork — in a road

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