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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 124 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cap — of ice
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. craft — a skill
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. staff — a stick
  8. spell — letters
  9. craft — boats
  10. cap — a lid
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. swing — music
  13. staff — employees
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cap — a hat
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. face — part of the head
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to confront
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — magic
  24. perch — for a bird

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