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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. band — a ring
  5. land — a country
  6. field — farmland
  7. perch — the fish
  8. board — a committee
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. board — to get on
  12. field — a subject
  13. band — a music group
  14. shower — rain
  15. land — to come down
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. land — ground
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. field — for sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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