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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pop — music
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chip — to eat
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — for digging
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pop — to visit
  15. drill — a practice
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. craft — a skill
  20. perch — the fish
  21. drill — army training
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — soda
  24. drill — the 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