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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rest — a break
  5. fine — all right
  6. snap — to click
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. perch — the fish
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — for digging
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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