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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. craft — boats
  4. last — to go on
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — a cup
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. shower — rain
  10. game — wild animals
  11. last — final
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pop — to visit
  15. shower — to wash
  16. capital — a city
  17. last — finally
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pop — soda
  20. mug — a face
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pop — music

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