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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. drill — a practice
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — for digging
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. craft — boats
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pop — music
  15. drill — army training
  16. chip — for betting
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stock — goods
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pop — soda
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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