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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fork — in a road
  8. perch — the fish
  9. game — a match
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. can — a tin
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. game — wild animals
  24. craft — a handicraft

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