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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. club — for golf
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cell — a phone
  5. club — for dancing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — a group
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bark — to shout
  12. current — of water
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. current — happening now
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rest — what's left
  18. current — electric
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rest — a break
  23. cell — in biology
  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