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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. plane — a tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. last — final
  9. rest — what's left
  10. present — the time now
  11. last — finally
  12. can — to be able to
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rest — a break
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — in geometry

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