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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — the earth
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. perch — the fish
  7. field — farmland
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bore — to drill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ground — crushed
  16. deal — to handle
  17. field — for sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. ground — a position
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — a subject

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