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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. perch — the fish
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. current — of water
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chip — for betting
  13. row — to paddle
  14. current — happening now
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cold — an illness
  18. row — a line
  19. club — a group
  20. chip — to eat
  21. current — electric
  22. key — for a lock
  23. club — for golf
  24. cold — not warm

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