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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — to protest
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — a thing
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. current — happening now
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — of water
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. perch — the fish
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. current — electric
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. object — an aim

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