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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — to come down
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. current — electric
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. perch — the fish
  12. current — happening now
  13. season — of the year
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. season — in sport
  17. hand — help
  18. rock — a stone
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. land — ground
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — of water
  23. land — a country
  24. chest — a box

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