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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. current — happening now
  4. scale — in music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. current — electric
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. board — a committee
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — of water
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. rest — a break
  18. scale — size or range
  19. board — to get on
  20. pop — to visit
  21. perch — the fish
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — for digging

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