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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hand — help
  5. current — happening now
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. current — electric
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. row — a line
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fork — in a road
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — in cards

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