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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rash — a series
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bear — the animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — a tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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