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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — low music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — in cards
  10. spring — the season
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — of a king
  13. fall — the season
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — a series
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. game — a match
  21. suit — to fit
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rash — on the skin

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