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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. land — to come down
  4. perch — the fish
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ground — the earth
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — ground
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ground — a position
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. ground — crushed
  19. land — a country
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kick — in football
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — boats

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