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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bulb — for light
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mark — a trace
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mark — a grade
  14. last — finally
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. craft — boats
  18. pass — a permit
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. shower — rain
  24. perch — for a bird

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