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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. suit — in cards
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — of the year
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. current — electric
  8. lean — to bend
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lean — thin
  11. current — happening now
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. season — in sport
  15. perch — the fish
  16. current — of water
  17. suit — clothes
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — a tool
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. suit — to fit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. game — wild animals

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