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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — a video
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a match
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. craft — a skill
  10. clip — to cut
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. season — in sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — wild animals
  24. coach — a trainer

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