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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rash — hasty
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — the fish
  8. capital — a city
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. capital — money
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of law
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. court — for sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. court — of a king
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rash — a series

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