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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. ball — a dance
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stock — goods
  13. file — a document
  14. stock — shares
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. craft — a skill
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pound — a weight
  22. craft — boats
  23. season — of the year
  24. file — a tool

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