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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. capital — money
  6. board — to get on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. drill — the tool
  10. last — finally
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — the fish
  14. board — a committee
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — army training
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. last — final
  20. drill — a practice
  21. capital — a city
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — to go on

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