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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. current — happening now
  6. pit — in a race
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cap — a hat
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. craft — boats
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — of ice
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. land — ground

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