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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. toast — bread
  4. current — electric
  5. present — there
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. current — happening now
  8. spring — the season
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spring — a coil
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. mate — a friend
  16. track — a path
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — of water
  19. mate — to breed
  20. track — a song
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. track — to keep track
  24. current — of water

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