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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — the time now
  5. perch — the fish
  6. present — there
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. present — a gift
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — the animal
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — of water
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bulb — for light

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