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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — money
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. capital — a city
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rash — hasty
  10. board — to get on
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. board — a committee
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rash — a series
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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