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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. object — to protest
  9. board — to get on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. perch — the fish
  17. lie — to recline
  18. field — a subject
  19. board — a committee
  20. deal — to handle
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — a flat piece

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