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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. perch — the fish
  6. current — electric
  7. spell — letters
  8. land — to come down
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. drill — a practice
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — army training
  13. current — of water
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — ground
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. spell — magic
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. drill — the tool
  22. current — happening now
  23. spell — a short time
  24. perch — for a bird

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