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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tube — a container
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — to drop
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. key — in music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fall — the season
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. hand — help
  21. game — a match
  22. spring — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mouse — the animal

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