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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. perch — the fish
  3. spring — the season
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pop — soda
  6. shower — to wash
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pop — music
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. spring — of water
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pit — a hole
  19. spring — a coil
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — to visit
  24. deal — to handle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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