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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. craft — boats
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. scale — in music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. shower — rain
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. face — to point toward
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. perch — the fish
  16. face — to confront
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rock — to move gently
  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