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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bass — low music
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rest — what's left
  10. current — of water
  11. drill — army training
  12. current — electric
  13. rest — a break
  14. toast — bread
  15. field — for sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. staff — a stick
  20. current — happening now
  21. bass — the fish
  22. field — farmland
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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