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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. land — a country
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. file — a document
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. file — a tool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. land — ground
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wind — moving air
  16. craft — boats
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. file — a line of people
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. scale — in music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — to visit
  24. craft — a skill

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